The Repair Shop: LIFE IN THE BARN: The Inside Stories from the Experts: The inside stories from the experts by Jay Blades

A third book from the BBC’s Top Rated Hit The Repair Shop

In today’s throwaway culture, there’s a counter movement growing that urges us to "make do and mend". The Repair Shop has brought this waste-conscious message to an even wider audience, cementing itself as a BBC classic of the likes of Antiques Roadshow.

The third book concentrates on the show’s much-loved experts, including woodworker and furniture restorer Will Kirk, clockmaker and mechanical wizard Steve Fletcher, silversmith Brenton West, saddler/leatherworker Suzie Fletcher, upholsterer Sonnaz, and seamstresses Julie Tatchell & Amanda Middleditch – aka The Teddy Bear Ladies, with each sharing why they love their craft, followed by a narrative on two specific objects and their restoration journeys. These narratives  capture the ethos of the programme by being almost Aesop’s Fables-esque – e.g. The Woodworker and the Broken Toy Chest – with quotes from the recipients of restored objects dotted around. 

With the focus on the artisans themselves, readers will feel as though they’re stepping straight into the ‘workshop of dreams’.